Protests over Sri Lankan Tamils issue continue in TN

Chennai: Protests over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue continued all over the state on Wednesday with CPI(M) and BJP also holding agitations.

In Chennai, protests including demonstrations, were held by the advocates of Madras High Court, CPI (M) under its state unit secretary G Ramakrishnan, BJP`s youth wing and the recently founded Aam Aadmi Party.

At Marina beach, a human chain of over 1000 students was held as part of a protest call given by a student body to mobilise one crore students even as many of them in various colleges staged a sit-in and demonstrations.

Students of a suburban college staged a protest outside the Officers` Training Academy (OTA) at St Thomas Mount here, police said, adding around 90 protestors were arrested.

Residents in many parts of the city staged a day-long fast and protests to express solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils, besides pressing for other demands, including an independent probe for alleged war crimes against Colombo.

A Coimbatore report said tension prevailed for some time at Pattinampudur on the city outskirts after a statue of former Prime Minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi was found desecrated near the party office premises.

Local party workers assembled at the office and staged a demonstration to condemn the incident and also sought arrest of the miscreants, it said.

A report from Madurai said advocates and college students in the city and Tiruchirapalli continued their stir for the second day today over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Law college students in the city and in Tiruchirapalli also continued with their relay fast, it said.

A Puducherry report said around 150 activists of a pro Tamil outfit were arrested when they pelted stones at the premises of the camp office of Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy and also for burning effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

About 100 activists of Students Federation of Puducherry were arrested after they barged into the office of the Central Excise Department, it said.

A group of fishermen from Veerampattinam staged a demonstration in mid sea in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils, while students of various institutions staged demonstrations at different venues.